


Visions of the Fallen

by Caelan_Books



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The High Republic: Into The Dark - Claudia Gray, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi - Charles Soule
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/M, Forbidden Love, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Visions (Star Wars), Jedi Code (Star Wars), Jedi Temple (Star Wars), Mutual Pining, Nihil (Star Wars), Secret Relationship, Starlight Beacon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:26:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29822829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caelan_Books/pseuds/Caelan_Books
Summary: In the weeks following the grand opening of Starlight Beacon, the newly titled Jedi master Elzar Mann finds himself returning to the station to research the force. His visions are flaring up, images of mass destruction, jedi falling all around him and an all too familiar voice crying out in pain. Avar Kriss, the woman he had loved since childhood, was on this station leading the jedi base here. She probably had no time for Elzar, and besides, jedi aren't allowed to fall in love.
Relationships: Avar Kriss & Elzar Mann, Avar Kriss/Elzar Mann, Reath Silas/Affie Hollow
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	Visions of the Fallen

It seemed like years had passed in only a few weeks. So much information about the Nihil and the Legacy Run disaster and so many jedi lost to the force…  
Elzar Mann took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the cold air of the transport. He tried to focus. _To take in your surroundings is to know your place in the force_. Avar Kriss’ old words echoed around his mind. Even in moments devoid of her presence, she was always there. Avar was talented and could reach the minds of many jedi simultaneously across large expanses of space, but he knew that this wasn't like that. He hadn't been able to fully clear his mind since the opening of Starlight Beacon, when he and Avar had been together in the arboretum. Even with his focus on the visions he had experienced that night, she was still there. Elzar knew it was wrong. Jedi were barred from forming attachments, especially romantic ones. _Is that what I feel?_ He thought. _No. We left that behind, years ago_. Elzar sighed. If he couldn't stop thinking about her, he might as well take her advice.

The blue ocean of hyperspace swirled outside his window, it was small and the metal bolts sealing in the glass were corroded around the edges. The rest of the ship wasn’t exactly up to code either. A faint smell of spice lingered on every surface, the main hold was cluttered with messy makeshift bunks and there was a brown splattering on the wall that looked suspiciously like blood. He could hear the small crew talking in the cockpit, an air of excitement to their voices.  
When he had hired them and their ship, Elzar had been in a tight spot. His first transport had been cancelled at the last minute because their navigator had stormed off. He suspected it was because of the Disaster still fresh in everyone’s minds. So, he got his credits back and asked around for another transport. To his luck, the Vessel and its crew had been eager to take him on, for a price of course. There was something more to them than simple cargo runners, for one, their navigator was what Elzar first thought to be a rock, but when he was close to him, he could feel the very distinct energy of a living being.  
The other crew members were equally as intriguing to Elzar. The captain was a handsome man of similar age to himself, but wore his shirt open farther than he had ever seen someone wear so casually. His co-pilot, a young girl in flight suit with torn off patches and hastily braided hair. Elzar couldn’t even begin to imagine how this crew had formed, much less why their ship looked more like a smuggler’s vessel than the cargo ship they claimed to be. Suddenly the cockpit door slid open, and the young girl spoke.

“Master Mann?” she said, poking her head through the doorway, “Strap yourself in, we’re landing in five.”

Elzar nodded and pulled his seat belt over his lap. Taken out of his thoughts, the realisation of what he was about to do hit him. At some point in his stay on Starlight, he’d have to face Avar. The idea sent a shiver down his spine. Their moment at the ceremony had brought up so many feelings he had thought lost to time, and he wasn’t sure he could push them away again. He thought of why he was going to the station in the first place. His official reason had been to meet with Master Cohmac Vitus, a notable scholar, in hopes that he could help him learn about the history of the jedi, but Elzar could do that in the archives on Coruscant.

A flash of pain ripped through Elzar’s body. Shouts and cries erupted around him, he could feel the hum of a lightsaber in his hand and the heat of one next to his throat. He could feel only darkness and pain.

“Elzar!” came an all too familiar voice, “No!” he could feel her fear and agony washing over him.

Before he could think about helping her, it was gone.

He opened his eyes, breathing heavily, feeling the weight of hands on his shoulders. Elzar could barely get air into his lungs, he heard the voices of the ship’s crew over his head, but he couldn’t seem to listen. It was Avar again, that voice. His mind was racing. _Something terrible is going to happen to her_. Elzar’s heart was beating fast. _Why is the force showing me this?_ He couldn’t seem to fill his chest with enough air, his mouth was going dry and his throat empty. Then, he heard a voice that was not his own, echoing through his mind.  
 _Feel the force around you Elzar. The force is with you always._  
He grasped forward with the force, searching around him for the source and for the smallest of seconds, he felt Avar holding his hand again and their faces close once more. And just like his vision, it was gone the moment it came. But this time, his panic was met with calm.  
His breathing slowed, his hearing cleared, and he became very aware of the two very shaken pilots standing before him.

“I am so sorry,” he said, lifting his head to see their faces had gone pale. “I don’t know what came over me.” they looked at him skeptically. “Have we reached the Beacon yet?” their stances shifted from concerned to slightly more relaxed.

“Geode’s just docking us now.” the young girl nodded to the cockpit, where Elzar could only guess the rock was piloting. “He’s never much use with, uh, human stuff.”

“Affie!” the captain elbowed her in the side, then turned to look Elzar in the eye. “You sure you’re okay, man?”

“Yes.” he lied.

The ship jostled, the air lock light flashed green, and the door slid open.

The Starlight Beacon passenger dock was a large white expanse, filled with benches and seats, a few fast food stalls, elevators taking people between levels, empty docks overlooking wild space and a massive terminal gate, opening into the Beacon’s central hub. All manners of creatures milled around, waiting for their ships or friends to arrive, but one duo caught Elzar’s eye.

Two jedi stood near the Vessel, a look of mild surprise on their faces. One was significantly taller and older than the other, with speckled black and grey hair, and the younger had the symbol of a padawan on his tabard.

Elzar unbuckled his seatbelt and gathered his belongings, pulling his brown and gold cloak around his shoulders and closing it at his neck. He thanked the crew for the journey and handed over a few extra of his credits, but to his surprise, they started to disembark with him.

The young girl, Affie was first off the ship, and the padawan outside, lit up when he saw her. That kid has alot of learning to do, Elzar thought. He watched as they walked briskly towards each other, meeting in the middle. The older jedi chuckled to himself as he made his way past them and towards the Vessel. As he came closer, Elzar finally recognised him. It was Cohmac Vitus, the man he had come all this way to see.

“Master Cohmac,” he said in greeting, “I wasn’t aware our meeting was so urgent.”

“Ah, In truth, I came here with my padawan to meet this ship.” said Cohmac in a pleasant tone, “We were with them on the Amaxine station and Reath and I grew quite fond of them. I was quite surprised to see you get off the Vessel.”

“Oh,” Elzar suddenly felt quite awkward. He had come here to see someone he was fond of aswell, “You have a padawan now?” he steered the conversation elsewhere.

“Yes,” was taken aback at the change of subject, “Reath here was the apprentice of Master Jora, before she, well.” Elzar nodded solemnly. Jora Malli had died in a battle with the Nihil, it was her position that Avar had taken over on the Beacon. Cohmac’s tone became very serious and quiet, “Listen, Master Mann, my padawan is going through alot at the moment, and training him is my highest priority. I have some holobooks about the subjects you were interested in speaking to me about, but, I think our official meeting might have to wait for a few weeks.”

“Naturally,” Elzar’s heart pulled at the thought of losing a master at so young, and he knew that Cohmac had been through the same, yet the idea of weeks on Starlight Beacon with only his thoughts to occupy him, and fear of seeing Avar again, made him shudder.

“I’m glad you understand.'' The finality of Cohmac’s voice let Elzar take his leave with a curt nod and head to the glass elevators.

When he turned in the lift, he looked back down at the padawan Reath, engaged in conversation with the young co pilot girl. They reminded him of Avar and himself at that age, so long ago though it was.

Alone again, with his thoughts, and visions, Elzar set out through the expansive hallways and displays of Starlight Beacon, to reach the Jedi Temple.

The station was much busier than it had been on that opening night. The visitors were stopping to look at the exhibits from all over the galaxy that lined the walls, walking with exotic foods in their hands, intermittently taking bites. Instead of the fancy buffet that had been there before, the hall was littered with street food stands. Elzar walked past one stall of a very fine smelling popped corn made with the red salt of Crait, and another that had fresh fruit imported from the inner rim. A rush of excitement filled him, with all this free time stretching before him he could savour every one of these treats, as long as he didn’t run out of credits.

The jedi temple was at the far end of Starlight Beacon, and away from the bustling exhibit halls. It had been built to serve as the main hub of the Jedi in the outer rim, with padawan barracks and training areas, meditation halls, and a vast number of apartments. It was smaller than the temple on Coruscant, but the giant windows looking out into space, made it feel like the galaxy was at his fingertips. He watched a few Vectors flying past and docking nearby, before moving on.

Elzar made his way to the lobby of the Jedi temple and after a quick interaction with a droid, he had the code to his room. He was surprised to find that it was the same one he had stayed in for the opening ceremony, room 723. He started towards the elevator, greeting a few people he recognised on the way.

When he arrived in the long hallway of jedi apartments on the 12th floor of the temple, Elzar realised something he hadn’t noticed before. A few of the rooms had small name plaques underneath the numbers, for more permanent residents of Starlight, they were all closest to the elevators and room 723 was just past this section. He read some of the names as he walked past, Giktoo Nelmo, Cohmac Vitus, Porent La and, the last one before his own door was Avar Kriss. Their rooms were next to each other. Elzar sighed, these next few weeks were going to be harder than he thought.

He tapped in his code, the small data pad flashed green and the door to his apartment slid open. There was a large and soft bed waiting for him, an en suite refresher, a substantial kitchenette and access to the holonet. And Avar lived next door. Elzar put down his bags and flopped face first onto his bed.

“Are you trying to tell me something, Force?” he said, muffled by the linens, he groaned and sat up. The only place he could be alone on this station, was directly next to the woman who he had a force connection with. Now they were in the same place again, it would no doubt grow stronger. Would his visions do the same? Avar was connected to this, it was her voice he could hear every time, if they lasted longer or grew more frequent, Elzar didn’t think he could stop them from coming true.


End file.
